Former Seattle pitcher dies

Swan suffered fatal head injuries in fall down stairs

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published 10:00 pm, Monday, May 1, 2006

KENNEWICK -- Russ Swan, a left-handed pitcher who spent parts of six seasons with three major league teams, is dead following a fall in which he hit his head, friends and relatives told the Tri-City Herald.

Swan's sister said he was taken to the hospital April 17 after being found unconscious at the bottom of a stairwell in Lake Havasu City, Ariz., without his wallet or identification papers.

"He had been doing better," Michelle said. "Last Sunday (April 23) they ran a CAT scan and the data was showing he had been improving. Then (Wednesday afternoon) a code blue was called and he was gone. They thought the cause (of death) was a blood clot."

Doctors believed Swan had been stabilized before the sudden change on Wednesday "but they weren't sure of the extent of the head injury," Price said.

A hospital nursing supervisor would not discuss Swan's death, the newspaper reported.

Swan, who was born in Fremont, Calif., enrolled at Spokane Community College, and then Texas A&M, and was drafted three times -- in January 1984 by the Houston Astros, that June by the Mariners, and in June 1986 by the Giants.

He made his major league debut with the Giants on Aug. 3, 1989 but the next May was traded to the Mariners.

His best season was with Seattle in 1991, when he was 6-2 in 63 appearances with a 3.43 ERA.

He was less effective the following season, going 3-10 with a 4.54 ERA in 55 appearances. He worked as both a starter (nine starts) and closer (nine saves) that season. He limited left-handed batters to a .198 average.

Swan struggled in 1993 and was demoted to Triple-A Calgary, where he spent two months before being recalled. Rather than offer Swan salary arbitration, the Mariners released him following the 1993 season.